Spicy Vegan Black Bean Soup

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There’s nothing better than a warming bowl of your favorite soup on a cold, dreary night. Not the kind of soup from a can, but the easy homemade kind that’s comforting and good for the soul, with enough leftovers for days.

Hello, Spicy Vegan Black Bean Soup. You have been a favorite of mine since um, forever?

The first bowl of Black Bean Soup I ever had was from Panera, way back in high school during my senior year. How I remember that? I’m not sure ha. I wasn’t vegan then but lightly dabbled with the vegetarian thing on and off and also the non-dairy thing here and there – even back when almond milk was unheard of and not as mainstream as it is now!

Back then (about 9 years ago… eek) Panera didn’t offer many meat-free or dairy-free options EXCEPT black bean soup and a couple salads, at least from what I remember. Now they have a handful of vegan-friendly options but I also remember choosing Black Bean Soup because it was low-fat and low-sodium but high in fiber. Guess I’ve always been into nutrition.

It’s taken me a while to share this recipe… mainly because, while Black Bean Soup is absolutely DELISH and comes with nutrition facts from the nutrition gods, it’s not as photogenic or colorful as my Cleansing Detox Soup, (a major hit here on the blog) or as vibrant as my recipes in general.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, right?!

I figured you guys would love and appreciate this cold-weather recipe anyway because of the taste and nutrition… so I tried really hard to make it as appealing as possible, by adding colorful veggies like bell peppers and even carrots and by adding toppings. Creamy avocado? YES. Crushed tortilla chips? Yup. Extra jalapeño for the fire breathers? Sure, why not.

Don’t add too many toppings though because honestly, this recipe does not need any help. It’s literally perfect. You have a few options also, depending on your texture preference and how you want this soup to “look”.

If you prefer a super smooth soup that’s darker in color – blend it until smooth, after it has been cooked, using a hand immersion blender (like this one).

If you prefer a semi-smooth soup that’s more colorful (like my pictures show) – blend half of the soup – it’s slightly creamy but still has texture and whole beans.

If you prefer a chunky soup that’s lighter in color or if you have no preference at all – keep it as is and don’t blend it at all!

Hope that helps. I like the second option as shown in the pictures, but everyone has different preferences.

I know many of you will ask if this can be made in a crock pot/slow cooker and I don’t see why not? I thought about making it in the crock pot but I also think that would be a better option if you are using dry beans. I opted for canned beans and wanted this to take less than an hour. Whatever makes it easier for you! I should also mention this soup makes a large amount and you will definitely have plenty of leftovers. If you don’t think you can eat it all within the week then freeze it for another cold, wintry night!

Heat the water (or oil, if preferred) in a soup pot or large dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.

Pour in the beans, corn and broth. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans are soft and the broth has lots of flavor, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat.

Using a hand immersion blender, blend about half of the soup, still leaving whole beans in tact. Blend more for a smoother texture or less for a chunkier texture, depending on preference (this step is optional; you can also blend half in a regular blender, making sure to let out the steam, to prevent a soup explosion as it gets very hot. Pour it back into the soup pot).

Stir in lime juice and cilantro and taste test to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Adjust accordingly.

I love this! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?

I live on batch made food to save time so am always looking for new ideas. This soup was perfect; warming, flavourful and filling (and a really great excuse to use my new blender)! I took half the soup and blended it to make it nice and thick whilst keeping the rest of it chunky. Thanks for the recipe!

This soup was really good. Made a half batch last night for my husband and myself. I’ve made black bean soups in the past that came out bland – but this was excellent. The spices taste rich and satisfying. Leftovers even taste good. I’m saving this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!

This soup is absolutely delicious! IF you decide to use option 3 ( no immersion blender) I would suggest only using 1 can of beans. I used the amount in this recipe and I don’t have a lot of broth to spare and the broth is too delicious not too have lots of :). Great recipe! Can’t wait to make it again.

Dried bean usually are soaked in water over night and/or cooked before using for soup, chili. The package usually gives directions. Also, look for small stones or debris and then rinse before soaking or cooking. The nice thing about dried beans is you can always have them on hand when in the mood for soup.

This soup is delicious, quick, and perfect for a cool autumn night! My 7 year old picky eater asked for seconds! We did leave out the jalepenos and hot pepper flakes and halved the chili powder to cut down on the heat for the kiddos and it was still super flavorful. I can’t wait to make it with everything added! Thank you for sharing it! It will definitely be a regular in our home.

Love this recepie and have made it several times and tried it with a variety of beans that also turned out well. I also added vinegar to taste (1 cup or so) just give a little tang to the taste buds. As I like it half crunchy half creamy I simply put the emulsifier into the pot until I got the consistency I wanted. Lastly the carrots take a bit more time to cook to my liking… so the first thing I do is chop and season to taste and throw them under broiler to precook… just long enough to be roasted to your liking, then add to soup before blending. Thank you for the delicious recepie!!

Hi Jane, you can definitely use any kind of blender, a hand blender is just easier as you won’t have to transport hot, hot soup into a blender. If you are using a regular blender, you’ll want to release the heat from time to time throughout blending, or else the top will blow off and you’ll have an explosion. Hope this helps!

I can’t wait to try this one! I just started my own blog, and I updated My Vegan Story page. It includes you, your blog, and your 5-day cleanse! It really helped me to quit making excuses and go 100% vegan (after about 6 months “in transition”) I hope you have time to check me out, and give my any tips! Thanks for everything Shannon! You are truly an inspiration!

What a perfect fall soup Shannon. Looks delicious. I actually made up a 2 gallon batch of black bean soup from Chef AJ last month that used 10 vegetables blended up as the base with the beans! So healthy like this one. I’m a soup freak since going vegan so I can use all the variety I can find.
I made your carrot cake muffins Thursday as well with chopped dates in place of the raisins. No icing though and they are still tasty.
Thanks for all you share with us. Looking forward to your next YouTube as well.
Take good care.

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SHANNON Leparski

I'm Shannon, a health blogger living in Chicago, dedicated to making your skin glow from plant based foods. I've learned that beauty is directly correlated to internal health. The plant based vegan lifestyle healed my skin and brought balance into my life. Come pamper your healthy glow with me, heal your body from within and thrive in abundance from plant based foods!